Thursday, May 12, 1977
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Three
Drinking age questioned
By SUE WARNER,
If several state legislators, parents, groups, and
high school administrators have their ways Mich-
igan's drinking age could be raised from 18 to 19
or possibly back to it's pre-1972 21-year old level.
State Senator Gilbert Bursley (R-Ann Arbor)
said yesterday he favors a bill which would raise
the age to 19 because, "the public school systems
have reported problems with 18-year-olds going
out on their lunch hour, or other times during-
the day, buying beer and bringing it back to
school." Bursley also pointed out that 18-year-olds
often buy alcohol for underage friends who are
also in high school. 0
HOWEVER, BURSLEY feels that returning the
drinking age to 21 would be too drastic a measure.
"I don't want it to go to 21 because I think college
students should be able to do what they want,"
he said.
Bursley also said there is a great deal of public
sentiment for the bill. "There's a reasonably
good chance that it could go through the Senate
and the House within the year," he added.
Tuesday, a State Senate committee heard pub-
lic testimony regarding the bill which would raise
the drinking age to 19.
MOST OF THE nearly 101 citizens who attended
the Commerce Committee hearing favored the
proposed legislation, complaining that traffic acci-
dents and alcohol abuse among youths have in-
creased since the drinking age was lowered from
21 to 18 in 1972.
Another public hearing is scheduled for Tues-
day.
The bill's sponsor, Senator James DeSana
(D-Wyandotte) advocates a age of 19 because he
is convinced it would eliminate much of the high
school drinking problem.
GROUPS OPPOSING DeSana's bill argue that
since 18-year-olds must accept the responsibilities
See STATE, Page 10
Detroit's would-be mayors
are a motley assortment
By KEITH RICHBURG
While Lou B e I c h e r is still
contesting his one-vote loss for
the mayorship of Ann Arbor,
there are a host of people who
want to be mayor of Detroit--
30, to be exact, according to the
official list of candidates at the
Detroit City-County Building.
Although most political ob-
servers have narrowed the race
down to a contest between in-
cumbent Coleman Young, De-
troit City Councilman Ernest
Browne, and Wayne State Uni-
versity L a w Professor John
Mogk, the remaining "minor
candidates" don't consider them-
Stanford students protest
Ford's, S. African policy
(Contton tram Pate 1)
"Months of efforts were directed toward the protests of the
last two days," he-added.
Approximately 900 students participated in another SCRIP
organized rally yesterday, occupying the Old Student Union once
again. During the afternoon, however, they discontinued their sit-
in in favor of a low-key protest to "educate 'people about the
issue" later this week.
STANFORD has an enrollment of 10,000.
"We became interested in this issue when we realized that
Stanford's investment portfolio had corporations such as Ford
which support apartheid," Nyhart said.
Last month the group requested that the Stanford Board of
Trustees, similar in function to the University of Michigan's Re-
gents, vote in support of the Interfaith-Center's resolution.
THE TRUSTEES, however, agreed only to abstain. from the
vote rather than vote in favor of the resolution, Nyhart said. "This
wasn't what we wanted. We felt a corporation such as Ford, could
be a progressive force in that country.,
A rally to attempt to enter a building where the Trostees were
meeting failed. Two students were later allowed to speak at a
Trustees meeting
The Stanford students d not expect the resouttion to gather
many votes. "If ne of these things could even get 10 per cent
of the stockholder's otes that would be a big statemiient to a cor-
'?ratiori like Ford," Nyhart said.
selves minor at all.
"IF JIMMY Carter can be
President of the United States
and Merle Jeeter can be mayor
of Fernwood, why can't I run for
mayor of Detroit?" says George
Saady, owner of a small Detroit
bicycle business and lawn mow-
er repair shop. "I just want to
put a little competition in the
race."
Saady sees the major issues
as the economic condition of
the city and crime. "They go
hand in hand," he says. lHe
favors more uniformed police
patrolling the beats.
Saady also wants to make the
mayor and all politicians more
accountable to the people. "I
would like to see a list of the
mayor's aids and their salaries,"
he nays. "They get in, they think
they're gods, and they are no
I o n g e r representative of the
people."
SAADY'S CAMPAIGN is "not
in full swing" yet, but the can-
didat contends that "It's not
just criticism for criticism's
sake." Says Saady, "I hope to
make a little bit of noise."
Someone else who hopes to
make noise is Leslie Benson.
Benson, who lists his current oc-
cupation as "running for the
mayor of Detroit," says the peo-
ple have not been adequatety
represented. Btensioi says tha t
Deroit nerds city officials "witl
enough concern to kick the peo-
ple in the butt."
Although Benson sees crime
as "a very big problem," and
See DETROITERS, Page 10
ERIN braces herself for a shove from Scot in their fes-
tivities at a Northwood Five playground.
North Woodlacking
recreation facilities
By GREGG KRUPA
Residents of the Northwood Five housing complex on
North Campus have been doing quite a bit of compiaining
lately about the lack of organized recreational activities and
facilities for their cirren.
Northwood Five has one of the densest populations of
children in the Ann Arbor area. Between two and three in
the afternoon busload after busload of children descend on
the 400-unit complex from area schools.
CLIFFORD WEBER, the principal of logan school, an
elementary school attended by many of Northwood live
children calls the situation "appalling."
"The Northwood Five area has been neglected by the
University for a number of years," said Weber. "There's io
facilities out there at all for kids. I am appalled that the
University has neglected the fansily.
Weber blamed the problem on a lack of cooperation be-
tween officials of the city, the University, and the public
school system. le said space exists in the irea ifor develop-
ment, but the need itsii exists for an>i orgonizatisin to vtii in
and do the funding.
RICIIARI TARRIER, Manager Ioft I-iFaity Iliiising taciLi-
ties, disagreed with Wetir tied s-rid tihit thi' facilities were
"pretty good, reilly." A quick srsee ii( the arei tiuried iisup
kin abundance o swiigs, monkey iars, and saidbx llt
See NORIWOOI, Page 10
"T SAY
Motor City media
Thesity of Detroit got a much needed shot in the
image yesterday when Federal's department stores
announced that they will be moving their corporate
headquarters there from New York, In fact, ,Fed-
eral's is so enthused with the Motor City that they've
decided to sponsor a television special called "De-
troit, We Love You!" The special, expected to be
aired towards the end of summer, will feature such
"local talent" as Diana Ross Gladys Knight and the'
Pips, Dick Vitale, Al Kaline,. Governor William Mil-
liken, Mayor Coleman Young, Willie Horton and.
Henry Ford II. Not exactly a Television Renaissance,
but at least better than The Price is Right.
Happenings ...
. If your brain can take topics like "physical
limnology" and "meteorology in ice and snow stu-
dies", check out the last day of the 20th Confer-
ence on Great Lakes Research all day at-Rackhaia
and MLB . . . and if even that doesn't sate your
lecture palate, try "Radical Pairs and Magnetic
Field Effects in the Primary Energy Storage Re-
actions", 4 p.m. in 1139 Nat. Sci. .. . and at 8 p.m.
the Sierra Club will hold its annual Members Wild-
erness slHe show in the Public Library's meeting
room, corner of Fifth and William. That's it!
0
Adversity
The parish tax assessor in Gretna, 'Louisiana,
thought he had a clever idea to help determine
property values. He asked taxpayers to list "adverse
influences" which might decrease property value
and to submit photographs. One respondent listed
his neighbor's "ugly wife" and enclosed a photo as
proof. Another wrote an essay describing the beauty
of colorful dead leaves settling gently into his swim-
ming pool from next door. And a third attached a
color photo of himself smiling in his den. Too bad
extra tax breaks aren't awarded for creativity.
Ford on tour
Professor Jerry Ford is back with his traveling
political science road show again, this time in los
Angeles at the University of Southern California. Ap-
parently forsaking the hometown Rose Bowl losers
for the California victors, Ford was asked for prob-
ably the thoi'sandth time why he pardoned Richard
Nixon. The ex-President replied that if he had it to
do all over again he would fake the same action.
Ford also declined comment on Nixon's televised
interview with David Frost. "M'Ir. Nixon's actions
speak for themselves," he said. Ford spoke here
last month as a guest professor.
On the outside
Look for another gorgeous day today, sunny with
a high of 76. Tonight, cool and clear, with a low of
51, And tomorrow things tarn downright summery,
with scattered clouds and a high of 80.